‘One phone call’ can halt attacks

AFP | Tehran

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

While Donald Trump has maintained that Washing ton has “nothing to do” with its ally’s campaign, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday that the US president could halt the attacks with “one phone call”.

“If President (Donald) Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential. Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

“It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy,” he added.

Casualties

Israel’s strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a press conference yesterday evening that Israel was eliminating Iran’s security leadership “one after the other”. “We are changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself,” he said.

Retaliation

Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation for Israel’s attacks, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warning of “more devastating operations” to come.

In Tehran, the live feed of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) was interrupted when an Israeli strike hit its building yesterday.

The presenter was in the midst of lambasting Israel when an explosion rocked the facility, causing the monitors behind her to cut out and sending debris raining from the ceiling, live footage showed.

Heavy strikes

Netanyahu insisted yesterday that Israel’s campaign against Iran was “changing the face of the Middle East”, as the two countries traded heavy strikes for a fourth day.

The remarks came hours after a dramatic Israeli attack on an Iranian state TV building that forced a presenter to flee mid-broadcast under a shower of dust and debris - prompting a threat of retaliation against Israeli news channels by Tehran.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign against targets across Iran, saying they aimed to prevent its arch-foe from acquiring atomic weapons, an ambition Tehran denies.

The sudden flare-up in hostilities has sparked fears of a wider conflict, with Trump urging Iran back to the negotiating table after Israel’s attacks derailed ongoing nuclear talks.